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Resentment brewing among Congress Councillors

By Lalit K. Jha

NEW DELHI APRIL 6. Strong resentment seems to be brewing among a large section of the Congress Councillors in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi following the selection of candidates for various committees including the Standing Committee and Zonal Committees.

These Councillors now plan to meet the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, to highlight the irregularity in selection of candidates and the dubious role of certain senior party leaders.

Around 30 Councillors have prepared a list of misdeeds of some senior Congress leaders in MCD and the party which will be submitted to the Congress president. These Councillors have alleged that "money and muscle power'' played a major role in selection of these candidates for various committees which could in turn cause immense damage to the party and hurt its campaign against corruption. The agitated Councillors also complain that only those owing alliance to a faction of the Congress have been given the coveted posts.

These Councillors, who have been holding series of meetings during the past few days to chalk out their strategies on how to reach out to the Congress high command, are expected to intensify their drive against the present leadership in the MCD in the next few days.

``The Congress in the MCD has been reduced to a one-man show. Rest of us have been reduced to mere spectators. It is not good for the party,'' said a senior Councillor from Shahdara who has been instrumental in bringing all such Councillors on one single platform.

Though there does not seem to be any viable alternative to the present leadership qualities of the Leader of House, Ram Babu Sharma, who had a smooth run in the MCD during the past year, the agitated Councillors allege that no other person was given any opportunity to perform. "Even as Chairman of Zonal Committee, I could not take any decision as every thing has been centralised here,'' said an outgoing Zonal Committee Chairman. Similar was the complaint made by Chairmen of other Committees, who allege that officials did not listen to them.

About a dozen Councillors have already submitted a memorandum in this regard to the party president, Sonia Gandhi. But now they busy preparing to raise a banner of revolt against the leadership in the MCD if their demands were not met.

Interestingly, majority of the Councillors who have formed their own group in the MCD House are from East Delhi. While the senior party leaders claimed that the selection of Mayor and Deputy Mayor and other posts was unanimous, the manner in which the process was carried out has only helped in adding fuel to the fire. A few smaller groups who were earlier aspirants to the coveted posts have now joined the group and now seem to be ready to play the role of opposition, rather than that of the ruling party.

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